Adana Archaeological Museum
Encyclopedia
Adana Archaeology Museum, located just west of the Sabancı mosque in Adana
, houses the historical heritage of Çukurova
region. It is one of the oldest ten museums of Turkey
.
section of the no longer existing Cafer Pasha Mosque in 1928 and then opened to the public.
The museum was moved to the building presently occupied by the Ethnography Museum
at Kuruköprü in 1950. Material from the early ages of Çukurova which was discovered during the excavations carried out at Tarsus
/Gözlükule (1934), Mersin
/Yumuktepe (1936), Ceyhan
/Sirkeli (1938) and Yüreğir
/Misis(1958) in particular, was collected at the museum. The museum eventually was filled to the brim with the ethnographic material collected by the Museum Director Ali Rıza Yalman (Yalkın) during the investigations he carried out between 1933 – 1940, and as it was the only museum of the region with material obtained either through purchases or court decisions from a large area reaching from Kahramanmaraş
to Gaziantep
, the museum moved to its current premises on January 7th, 1972.
/Taşucu and Uzuncaburç
. The exhibited material includes sarcophagi with rich garland decorations, jugs, catapult shots, inscriptions, altars and various architectural elements.
The ground floor is the hall of stone-cut artefacts. A marble sarcophagus depicting the Trojan wars in high relief is from Tarsus and is known as the Akhilleus sarcophagus. There is also a sarcophagus with a medusa from the antique city of Augusta which was submerged because of the Seyhan Dam Reservoir, and a human size bronze Karataş Statue from the Magarsus ancient city in Karataş
, both of which are the most popularly viewed pieces of this hall.
At the Hall of Chronological Objects, a large variety of findings are exhibited from the very early ages to the Ottoman period, including offerings, pottery, oil lamps, gods, goddesses and animal figurines. The Mosaic of Orpheus Playing the Lyre, discovered at Tepebağ
in Adana, is also in this hall.
At the Hall of Regional Objects, works from the Adana museum's own collection obtained from the excavations and through purchases are exhibited. Glass object samples with rich forms, Seljuk tiles and seals from various civilizations are also displayed.
At the Hall of Coins, Seals and Jewellery, starting with the Lydians, who were the first to make coins, jewellery and buried treasures discovered in the districts of Adana are exhibited.
Adana
Adana is a city in southern Turkey and a major agricultural and commercial center. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, 30 kilometres inland from the Mediterranean, in south-central Anatolia...
, houses the historical heritage of Çukurova
Çukurova
Çukurova , historically known as Cilicia, is a geographic, economic and cultural region in south-central Turkey, covering the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye and Hatay...
region. It is one of the oldest ten museums of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
History
The museum was established at the Police Department just after the formation of the Republic in 1924. It initially started with the collection of the columns, column capitals and sarcophagi found in the vicinity of the building. Alyanakzade Halil Kamil Bey from Adana was appointed as a museum director and with his successful work, the accumulated material was moved to the madrasahMadrasah
Madrasah is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, whether secular or religious...
section of the no longer existing Cafer Pasha Mosque in 1928 and then opened to the public.
The museum was moved to the building presently occupied by the Ethnography Museum
Adana Ethnography Museum
Adana Ethnography Museum exhibits the ethnographic works, the inscriptions of Adana's landmarks and epitaph and gravestones of Adana's leading figures. The museum was opened in 1983 at a former church after Archeological Museum moved to its new location....
at Kuruköprü in 1950. Material from the early ages of Çukurova which was discovered during the excavations carried out at Tarsus
Tarsus (city)
Tarsus is a historic city in south-central Turkey, 20 km inland from the Mediterranean Sea. It is part of the Adana-Mersin Metropolitan Area, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Turkey with a population of 2.75 million...
/Gözlükule (1934), Mersin
Mersin Province
The Mersin Province is a province in southern Turkey, on the Mediterranean coast between Antalya and Adana. The provincial capital is the city of Mersin and the other major town is Tarsus, birthplace of St Paul...
/Yumuktepe (1936), Ceyhan
Ceyhan
Ceyhan is a city in southeast Turkey and with 105,000 inhabitants it is the second largest city of Adana Province after the capital Adana. Ceyhan is the transportation hub for Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Russian oil and natural gas. It is situated on the Ceyhan River, from which it takes...
/Sirkeli (1938) and Yüreğir
Yüregir
Yüreğir is a district in the Adana Province of Turkey. It lies east of the Seyhan River, south and west of Sarıçam and north of Yumurtalık. Large portion of the district is within the city of Adana, incorporated as a lower-tier municipality....
/Misis(1958) in particular, was collected at the museum. The museum eventually was filled to the brim with the ethnographic material collected by the Museum Director Ali Rıza Yalman (Yalkın) during the investigations he carried out between 1933 – 1940, and as it was the only museum of the region with material obtained either through purchases or court decisions from a large area reaching from Kahramanmaraş
Kahramanmaras
-Industry:Kahramanmaraş's industry is mainly based on textile and ice cream. Kahramanmaraş is one of the biggest textile industry cities of Turkey. Companies like Kipaş, İskur, Arsan and Bozkurt are one of the richest companies in the city...
to Gaziantep
Gaziantep
Gaziantep , Ottoman Turkish: Ayintab) previously and still informally called Antep; ʻayn tāb is a city in southeast Turkey and amongst the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. The city is located 185 kilometres northeast of Adana and 127 kilometres by road north of Aleppo, Syria...
, the museum moved to its current premises on January 7th, 1972.
The museum
At the museum entrance there is a gate lion from the Hittite period and two Augustus statues from SilifkeSilifke
-Antiquity:Located a few miles from the mouth of the Calycadnus River, Seleucia was founded by Seleucus I Nicator in the early 3rd century BCE, one of several cities he named after himself. It is probable that there were already towns called Olbia and Hyria and that Seleucus I merely united them...
/Taşucu and Uzuncaburç
Uzuncaburç
- Geography :Uzuncaburç is in the rural area of Silifke district which is a part of Mersin Province. It is located in the valleys of Toros Mountains at the north of Silifke with an altitude of . The coordinates of the mid town are . The highway distance to Silifke is and to Mersin is...
. The exhibited material includes sarcophagi with rich garland decorations, jugs, catapult shots, inscriptions, altars and various architectural elements.
The ground floor is the hall of stone-cut artefacts. A marble sarcophagus depicting the Trojan wars in high relief is from Tarsus and is known as the Akhilleus sarcophagus. There is also a sarcophagus with a medusa from the antique city of Augusta which was submerged because of the Seyhan Dam Reservoir, and a human size bronze Karataş Statue from the Magarsus ancient city in Karataş
Karatas
Karataş is a small city and a district in Adana Province, on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, 47 km from the city of Adana, between the rivers of Seyhan and Ceyhan, the Pyramos of Antiquity...
, both of which are the most popularly viewed pieces of this hall.
At the Hall of Chronological Objects, a large variety of findings are exhibited from the very early ages to the Ottoman period, including offerings, pottery, oil lamps, gods, goddesses and animal figurines. The Mosaic of Orpheus Playing the Lyre, discovered at Tepebağ
Tepebağ
Tepebağ is a historical neighborhood in the old town of Adana. It is situated on a hill overlooking to the Seyhan River steps away from the Taşköprü, and reflects the traditional housing architecture of the city. Tumulus at Tepebağ is the area of the first settlements in Adana.-History:Throughout...
in Adana, is also in this hall.
At the Hall of Regional Objects, works from the Adana museum's own collection obtained from the excavations and through purchases are exhibited. Glass object samples with rich forms, Seljuk tiles and seals from various civilizations are also displayed.
At the Hall of Coins, Seals and Jewellery, starting with the Lydians, who were the first to make coins, jewellery and buried treasures discovered in the districts of Adana are exhibited.